portion

[pawr-shuhn, pohr-]

noun

1. a part of any whole, either separated from or integrated with it.

   I read a portion of the manuscript.

   Synonyms: segment, section
   Antonyms: whole

2. an amount of food served for one person; serving; helping.

   He took a large portion of spinach.

   Synonyms: ration

3. the part of a whole allotted to or belonging to a person or group; share.

   Synonyms: dividend, lot, quota, allotment

4. the part of an estate that goes to an heir or a next of kin.

   Synonyms: inheritance

5. Literary.,  something that is allotted to a person by God or fate.

   Synonyms: doom, destiny, lot, fortune

6. (especially formerly) the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings to her husband at marriage; dowry.

verb (used with object)

1. to divide into or distribute in portions or shares (often followed byout ).

   Synonyms: apportion, allot

2. to furnish with a portion, as with an inheritance or a dowry.

   All of his children have been amply portioned.

   Synonyms: endow

3. to provide with a lot or fate.

   She was portioned with sorrow throughout her life.

portion

/ ˈpɔːʃən /

noun

1. a part of a whole; fraction

2. a part allotted or belonging to a person or group

3. an amount of food served to one person; helping

4. law

   1. a share of property, esp one coming to a child from the estate of his parents

   2. the property given by a woman to her husband at marriage; dowry

5. a person's lot or destiny

verb

1. to divide up; share out

2. to give a share to (a person); assign or allocate

3. law to give a dowry or portion to (a person); endow

Other Word Forms

• portionable adjective
• portionless adjective
• reportion verb (used with object)
• unportionable adjective
• unportioned adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of portion¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English porcion, from Old French, from Latin portiōn- (stem of portiō ) “share, part,” akin to pars part

Word History and Origins

Origin of portion¹

C13: via Old French from Latin portiō portion, allocation; related to pars _part

Synonym Study

See part.

Example Sentences

People only pay the higher tax rate on the portion of their income that falls within the higher bracket.

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You will also have to liquidate at least a portion of your retirement savings to make a down payment on a property or buy something outright.

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The opening introduces a crucial decision for retirement savers: whether to stick with the traditional lineup of mutual funds and exchange-traded funds or to allocate a portion of their savings to private markets.

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“Social Security benefits are so important because a majority of retirees rely on Social Security for a very significant portion or even all of their retirement income.”

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Investors should consider the fact a big portion of their investments are in the U.S. dollar and perhaps that should be reduced a little.

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Related Words

• allocation 
• chunk 
• excerpt 
• fraction 
• fragment 
• lot 
• part 
• piece 
• quantity 
• section 
• segment 
• serving